Dirty Work
by melissasusan
Summary: Set March 2018. Elizabeth has overheard a secret Sam is keeping from Drew. She's promised herself not to keep any more secrets, but should she get involved? She turns to the only person who might be able to help: Carly Corinthos.


**Episode Tag: March 9, 2018. Elizabeth has overheard Jason and Sam talking about the earthquake.**

* * *

 **INT. METRO COURT - RESTAURANT - BAR - NIGHT**

 _Elizabeth steps off the elevator and finds Carly sitting at the bar, sipping a martini. She twists her diamond engagement ring on her finger. Nervous._

 _She approaches_.

 **ELIZABETH** : Hey. Carly, do you have a minute?

 _Carly looks at her. Suspicious. Curious. She nods. Tips her head toward the bar stool next to her._

 **CARLY** : I hear you had another aborted wedding.

 **ELIZABETH** : (sighs) Yeah. The, ah, earthquake, or whatever it was, you know—

 **CARLY** : Mmm…that's not the way Mama tells it. She had the boys back at the house before it even hit.

 **ELIZABETH** : Let's not…that's not what I wanted to talk to you about.

 **CARLY** : Hey, if you don't care that you got stood up at your wedding, then why should I? I guess you should just be lucky Franco only humiliated you by not showing up. He's not really good at weddings.

 **ELIZABETH** : Okay, this was a bad idea.

 **CARLY** : ( _with a smirk_ ) No. Sorry. I can't resist. It's my fault anyone even takes that psycho seriously anyway. I had my own year of temporary insanity. I hope yours ends soon. What can I do for you?

 **ELIZABETH** : Look. It's not that I want to be involved. I don't. I mean, I do. Part of me really wants to just…do this myself because—anyway, I don't think I should get involved.

 **CARLY** : You're babbling. This should be good.

 **ELIZABETH** : What I did to Drew was unforgivable. It doesn't matter that he wasn't actually Jason. I thought he was. I was told he was. And I lied to him. I promised him I would never lie to him again.

 **CARLY** : _(slowly_ ) Okay. So, don't.

 **ELIZABETH** : I know something that…he should know. He has a right to know. But I'm afraid if I tell him…I'm afraid that he won't believe me. Or that it will just…look like I'm trying to get revenge on Sam, and I don't…I don't want that.

 **CARLY** : Of course you do. ( _leans forward_ ) You want me to do the dirty work, babe, let's at least be honest about what we're talking about, okay? You've never liked Sam.

 **ELIZABETH** : And you only liked her because it kept Jason away from me, so let's go ahead and be honest, Carly. Your enthusiasm for Sam and Jason only started after they broke up. Until then, you hated her, too.

 **CARLY** : Why the hell would I care about you and Jason?

 **ELIZABETH** : I don't know, Carly. Are we really going to go back twenty years and talk about why you've always hated me?

 **CARLY** : I don't hate you.

 **ELIZABETH** : You did everything you could to undermine my relationship with Jason. Even when we were just friends. You risked his life and safety to get him out of my studio when he was hurt—

 **CARLY** : ( _sniffs_ ) That was a long time ago.

 **ELIZABETH** : Every time he was with me, you called him—

 **CARLY** : And he came running.

 **ELIZABETH** : You pushed him towards Courtney, and we both know that was a mistake—

 **CARLY** : She was better for him.

 **ELIZABETH** : And you rushed right away to tell him your version of Jake's paternity. Because you were so excited that that he wasn't going to be tied to me.

 **CARLY** : Hey, I didn't tell you to confirm that—

 **ELIZABETH** : I'm just saying, Carly, that you have never been a fan of me being in Jason's life. Why do you care if Jason goes back to Sam? Didn't you give a damn about Drew? You were the one that pushed him towards Sam when we found out the truth. Even before you knew I was lying.

 **CARLY** : ( _pauses_ ) Listen. Okay. Maybe there's a point to that. I don't know. I guess I get you're still irritated Jason went back to Sam after claiming to love you—

 **ELIZABETH** : Carly, you have no idea about my issues with Sam. I doubt Jason told you what she did to Jake, what she did to both my boys, so let's just knock it off—

 **CARLY** : What? Destroyed your marriage with the affair with Lucky? ( _snorts_ ) Please. That entire relationship was doomed, and you know it.

 **ELIZABETH** : She stood by while that psycho kidnapped Jake. She knew where he was. Refused to tell us. Refused to let us go on her show. Came to tell me that my son was probably dead. She hired men to hold guns on us—she's the reason Jason spent most of the summer in jail that year—

 **CARLY** : Wait. ( _holds up a hand_ ) Wait. Sam helped someone kidnap Jason's kid? ( _pause_ ) Jason knows that?

 **ELIZABETH** : Look, it was a decade ago. God. More than that now. He made his choice. We have to live with it. And besides, it's not like I haven't had my opportunities to get back at her. I've taken them, you know? I did what I could to torpedo her relationship with Lucky, not that it worked. And—

 **CARLY** : Lied about Drew.

 **ELIZABETH** : Part of me wants to cause trouble for her. She's always been a hypocrite, always pretended she's better than me. And the only reason I put up with her is because of Jason. And now Jake and Danny. So, this thing I know—this thing I heard her say to Jason—Drew should know it. I just don't want to be the one to tell him.

 **CARLY** : You'd like to keep your hands clean.

 **ELIZABETH** : I also don't know if he'd believe me.

 **CARLY** : So you want me to do it for you.

 **ELIZABETH** : ( _hesitates_ ) Yes.

 **CARLY** : Like a hired assassin.

 **ELIZABETH** : Carly.

 **CARLY** : You know, Sonny keeps telling me not to meddle. Jason hates me getting involved. I've been busy with Michael, and Sonny and his dad. I'm not sure this is something I should get involved with.

 **ELIZABETH** : Okay, fine. If you really don't know what to know what I know, I can respect that.

 _She waits._

 **CARLY** : Damn it. What do you know?

 **ELIZABETH** : That Jason and Sam were together the night of the earthquake. That Sam told Jason she's still in love with him. And there was something about New Year's she hasn't told Drew yet. I don't know. I didn't hear that part as well.

 **CARLY** : Let me get you a drink.

 _She signals the bartender._

 **CARLY** : (continues) You know, I guess you've really moved on from Jason if you're trying to patch things up with him and Sam. ( _smirks_ ) You do realize that's the natural ending for this?

 **ELIZABETH** : I don't, actually. Jason goes back to Sam for whatever reason, but they never last, Carly. Or haven't you noticed that? I don't know why he goes back, but she drives him away. Every time. She lies, she cheats, she schemes. She cons him. She's a lot like you.

 _She sips the martini the bartender hands her._

 **ELIZABETH** : She thinks Jason should be a certain way, and then she punishes him when he's not.

 **CARLY** ; What the hell—

 **ELIZABETH** : I'm not any better, so don't get pissed. We all do that. Jason has surrounded himself with takers all his life, Carly. You, me, Sam. Sonny. We all love him, but we take from him, too. Since he's been home, you've been shoving Sam in his face, Sam is shoving Drew in his face, and God knows, I've been shoving Franco in his face, which makes me the worst of all.

 **CARLY** : Elizabeth—

 **ELIZABETH** : I'm not taking from Jason anymore. I saw his face yesterday at the hospital when I tried to thank him for saving Franco's life. I tried to make him see he's not that person anymore, and then, you know, I stepped outside of myself. I could hear myself trying to justify my choices to Jason. Trying to get Jason to accept them.

 **CARLY** : Why does that matter?

 **ELIZABETH** : Because Jason's always right. (sips martini) He was right about Lucky. Right about Ric. Right about Ewan. He's always been right about the men I let into my life.

 **CARLY** : You know you deserve better than Franco, Elizabeth. Tell me you know that.

 **ELIZABETH** : Do I?

 _She finishes her martini and drops a twenty on the bar._

 **ELIZABETH** : Look, tell Drew or don't. I'm just—I can't be the only one who knows this. I'm tired of keeping secrets.

 **CARLY** : Hey. Listen. About Franco. You think no one else gets it, but I do. I get how he can make you think he's the only one who understands you. How he can isolate you from the rest of your world because he's the only one you can turn to. The problem is that he builds his world around you. He puts you on a shelf. He builds this idea of who you are. And then when you disappoint him—because you will—he will blame you. And then he'll destroy you.

 **ELIZABETH** : Carly.

 **CARLY** : You might not think there's anything left to destroy, but he's not going to come for you. He's going to come for what you love best. He did that to me. He humiliated me, sure. But he destroyed Michael. He went after my child. Tell me you're one hundred percent positive it's not the same for you. That it can't happen to you.

 _Elizabeth is silent for a long time._

 **ELIZABETH** : I'll see you around, Carly. Thanks for the drink.


End file.
